Snowpiercer (loosely based on French graphic novel Le Transperceneige) is being called many things; some are calling it a deconstruction of the action blockbuster, while others refer to it as “an R-rated Hunger Games”. Indeed there are some similarities between Snowpiercer and The Hunger Games films (though not so much with the books); both are made in the 2010s, feature an elite minority holding control over the poor majority, take place in a harsh reality filled with horrific violence from tyrannical law, and are overall very good films. Snowpiercer succeeds in rivaling The Hunger Games and is one of the better action films of 2014; yet is Snowpiercer truly a deconstruction of the Hollywood action/dystopian blockbusters?
The story begins with the world in danger from global warming’s ever increasing temperatures; as a last resort, several countries release an experimental chemical called CW-7 in hopes of cooling off the climate. It works…in the worst possible way imaginable; creating a new ice age that makes all human life extinct (oops!) Well, except not all human life dies off (the film continuously mistakes the word extinct for critically endangered), as a small portion of humanity is able to avoid freezing using a massive, nonstop train known as the Snowpiercer. Snowpiercer is powered by a perpetual-motion engine that allows for endless travel across the globe, all while holding an assortment of humanities last resources (plants, fruit, fish, animals, etc…) carefully rationed in order to preserve forever. All seems great until the rich elites force the thousands of poor to give up their possessions and live cramped in the slums of the train’s end (because as you know, all rich people are selfish, cruel, and pure evil). Years later, after several failed uprisings, the poor discover that the elite have finally ran out of bullets; triggering Curtis Everett (Chris Evans) to lead the slums in a strategic revolt towards the front of the train, where the mysterious conductor Wilford resides.
While I've never been a big fan of the rich vs poor concept (how is there not a single sympathetic elite towards the poor’s condition), my resentment soon turned to excitement as the revolt began; being exciting, engaging, and strategic in its execution. The poor work as a unit to fight, turning connected barrels into battling rams and creating defensive perimeters to overcome enemies. The train setting adds a whole unique flavor to how both sides can engage in combat. When the poor reach a small army of masked men armed with swords and axes, the train’s thin width prevents evasive maneuvers, meaning their only route of attack is straight into the weapons. The scene gives an effective sense of tension to the viewers, as if I was about to plunge head first into death (its nerve racking to watch both sides try and psyche one another out, before suddenly charging). The film also has a bizarre yet funny sense of humor throughout. Half-way through above mentioned battle, both sides suddenly stop at one of the elites signals to unexpectedly celebrate the coming of a New Year on the Snowpiercer. Both sides act happy, make a few jokes, and then resume killing each other. This kind of black humor appears at the most inappropriate of times, but is so unexpected that it goes full circle and becomes completely suitable for the situation. Other uses of such humor include an amusing running of the torch scene and an elementary school teacher that would fit right in with the citizens of Bioshock's Rapture.
In fact the entire film possesses a very Bioshock atmosphere to it; taking its time to show off the beauty of the Snowpiercer's compartments while also revealing the hellish nature surrounding it. Each new compartment reveals some form of life (a majestic looking aquarium and a garden filled Arcadia) while also revealing some form of insanity and horror, such as a brainwashed classroom and drug fueled elites (whose appearance and insanity parallel Bioshock's splicers). While doing so, the film reveals to us more about our main character Curtis and the personal hell he’s gone through. In one scene, Curtis must make a decision to either save a friend or capture one of the elites’ leaders (thereby winning the battle). He chooses the latter, which does indeed win the fight (saving many of his comrades), but at the cost of his friend’s life. We later get more on Curtis’ backstory with said friend; learning what disturbing things he did to survive, making his impossible choice all the more devastating and tragic. Curtis is a very complex individual that becomes more interesting the further Snowpiercer progresses; his character is made all the more remarkable thanks to Chris Evans’ performance, being successful in amplifying his character’s emotional depths.
My praise for Snowpiercer ceases to be, once the film reaches the open gate of the front engine. After hitting its highpoint with Curtis’ emotionally tragic backstory (along an hour and a half of buildup), the film finally reveals the lair of the mysterious Wilford; along with the man behind the very machine that’s saving them from freezing and the destruction and horror inside. Who could this Wilford possibly be!? Why would he allow such terror to unfold; such cruelty and inhumane actions? My anticipations were high; what twists lay inside the final room, what person held control of the rest of humanity (maybe it’s a kindly old man unaware of anything. Maybe it isn't a guy at all, but a girl, or a child, or a group of people). The conductor finally appears, revealing Wilford to be…just some crazy old man. That’s all he turns out to be; and to be clear he’s not the fascinating lunatic with ideals or some warped sense of the world, but simply a boring guy out to cause pain and misery because the plot simply demanded it. In fact, the character seems bored himself; showing little interest when his train might explode. Instead he just sits there stoically eating a steak (“neat” is his response to certain death). The character of Wilford is such a bland reveal for a movie that was, up to that point, completely engaging; the worst part however is the scenes with him just keep on going until you wish Curtis would just punch Wilford to shut him up (which Curtis does eventually).